1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of storing and restoring data of a graphic device, and more particularly, to a method of storing and restoring graphic data by using a VGA(video graphics array) VESA(video electronics standards association) function in a computer system having a hibernation function. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of storing and restoring graphic data by expanding the kind of graphic card to be supported without changing the contents of the BIOS(basic input/output system) when supporting the hibernation function of a different graphic chipset.
2. Description of the Related Art
Advance technological developments in computers have made power saving functions a necessity in order to manage the power to the various components in computers. A personal computer supports a suspend mode by using power saving elements and adding a power management system and a control logic. A computer also supports a hibernation mode for storing the present input/output state of the system to a predetermined space in a hard disk drive and supplying the power when the system does not receive any activity after a predetermined period of time.
The functions of power saving, scheduler, and quick start are embodied by using the advanced power management (APM) system in a personal computer. The APM system is set by a device driver provided from MS-DOS and saves the selected power.
The hibernation system has two functions as follows. First, an emergency automatic restoration function for storing the present operating state in an auxiliary memory, such as a hard disk, when power is cut off by a sudden interruption of electric power or in error by a user and restoring the operating state, according to the contents which are stored in the auxiliary memory, of the computer to the previous operating state when power is supplied again.
Second, a power saving function for automatically storing a present operating state in an auxiliary memory, such as a hard disk, and cutting off the power when a computer is not used for a predetermined period of time and resuming the power and returning to the previous operating state when the computer is used again.
Recently, the personal computer market is expanding under public demand for a hibernation system having the emergency automatic restoration function and the power saving function.
Conventionally, power is supplied to the system and the graphic device when a computer is in the wait mode or the suspend mode. The computer mode changes into the wait mode or the suspend mode by using an input/output register of the chipset without storing and restoring information of the graphic device since the chipset supports the wait mode or the suspend mode, and is returned to the normal state when an user inputs data into a keyboard or a mouse is moved to a particular input.
In addition, the present state and the present graphic data of the system are stored in the hard disk drive by using a hibernation function. The stored state and graphic data of the system are restored when returning to a previous state or changing into the hibernation mode for the work requested by an user and a application program.
The quick start(or, instant on) makes the system operate again by using a link pack area again so that the system may be returned to the previous operating state without booting when supplying the power to the personal computer. An initial program loader (IPL) operating the computer controlled under an operating system or a monitor system includes a cold start and a quick start. The cold start is the initial IPL after forming the system or the IPL loading the link pack area again. The quick start uses again a page and a segment table of the link pack area after supplying the power.
The wait mode is a temporary stop mode and reduces the power consumption by extending the operating time when no activity occurs to the system for a predetermined period of time. The suspend mode is a stop mode, is a temporary stop state when a sudden interruption of electric power or unplugging of the computer, and is the state changing into the hibernation.
Conventionally, the method of storing data of the graphic device when embodying the hibernation of the computer is executed as follows. First, the system BIOS examines the kind of graphic card of the system in order to store data of the graphic device when generating the hibernation admission signal in the ROM(read only memory) BIOS of the system. Because the VGA chipset register setting method of storing the graphic memory according to the kind of graphic chipset are different from each other, the kind of VGA chipset internal register are different from each other. Next, the VGA internal register is stored according to the kind of VGA chipset. The data of the graphic device is stored by storing the graphic memory after changing the graphic mode into a linear address mode of the 256 color mode.
The program size expands as the number of kinds of graphic cards supporting the hibernation increases, because the graphic data is stored respectively according to each graphic chipset in the system BIOS. The BIOS should be upgraded since the contents of the system BIOS is changed when supporting an additional graphic device.
The following patents each disclose features in common with the present invention but do not teach or suggest the specifically recited method of storing and restoring data of a graphic device of the present invention: U.S. Pat. No. 5,355,490 to Kou, entitled System And Method For Saving The State For Advanced Microprocessor Operating Modes, U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,349 to Hashimoto et al., entitled Method For Maintaining Display/Print Mode In Display Printer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,640,574 to Kawashima, entitled Portable Computer Apparatus Having A Display Capable Of Displaying Power Management Information And Method Of Controlling The Display, U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,541 to Sadashivaiah, entitled System And Method For Managing Power On Desktop Systems, U.S. Pat. No. 5,619,707 to Suboh, entitled Video Subsystem Power Management Apparatus And Method, U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,376 to Ranganathan, entitled Color Management For Power Reduction In A Video Display Sub-System, U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,340 to Moritaetal., entitled Apparatus And Method For Suspending And Resuming Software Application On A Computer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,548,765 to Tsunoda et al., entitled Power Saving Display Subsystem For Portable Computers, U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,249 to Suboh, entitled Video Subsystem Power Management Apparatus And Method, U.S. Pat. No. 5,410,711 to Stewart, entitled Potable Computer With BIOS-Independent Power Management, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,546 to Stewart, entitled BIOS Independent Power Management For Portable Computer.